The Augmentative/Alternative Communication Clinical and Research Laboratory Services and Research
The Augmentative/Alternative Communication Clinical and Research (AACCR) Laboratory is located at W114 Thompson Hall at SUNY Fredonia. The laboratory is part of the Youngerman Speech and Hearing Clinic. Professor Bruce Wisenburn, M.A. CCC-SLP, is the laboratory director.The AACCR Lab serves as a clinical, research, and educational center for AAC. The lab contains over 25 switches, including a motion detector switch, sip and puff switch, grasp switch, foot switch, tilt switch, and other light-touch switches. The lab also provides AAC programs from companies such as Dynavox, Enkidu, and Prentke-Romich. A portable AAC device (the ChatPC II) is also available. The lab also contains low technology aids, such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).
The laboratory provides clinical services such as AAC assessments and therapy. Assessments may focus on evaluating communication skills (including speech, expressive language, and receptive language skills), access methods, and basic sensory skills. We would then work with the client, family, and/or the client's usual clinicians to match an appropriate AAC system to meet the client's needs. Assessments may be for children or adults with intelligibility deficits due to developmental or acquired disorders, such as cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, aphasia, dysarthria, apraxia, or autism. We also provide therapy services for AAC users.
The AACCR lab also engages in research related to AAC and speech-language pathology as a whole. Recent research has focused on:
- the intelligibility of Spanish speech synthesis
- the application of natural language processing (including speech recognition) for AAC
- the development of an utterance generation system for portable AAC devices
- and also the development of an automated language analysis program
The AACCR lab also provides educational opportunities to students at SUNY Fredonia. Students may participate in research, assist in the provision of clinical services, and also learn about the field of augmentative/alternative communication. We also provide consultation for professionals that are interested in learning more about AAC.